


Let's See This Next King of Games

by Platon



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Duel Fic, Duel Monsters, Duel Monsters Anime, Duel-centric, Duelling, The Sacred Beasts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24563623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platon/pseuds/Platon
Summary: When Seto Kaiba has a problem, he intends to solve it in the best way possible. Unless that "best way" involves getting help from a certain dropout named Jaden Yuki, then he'll make everyone's life difficult, Jaden's life especially.Still, Jaden is the best one for the job. So, Kaiba will just have to test him.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

_“Of course there’s a reason to panic!”_

Seto Kaiba held back a wince as the insufferable screech assaulted his ears. Sighing, he dismissed the call, not allowing the person at the other end to continue another word. He’d hear it all when he arrived. 

“Why do I bother to hire a headmaster if he’s going to call me over for every benign triviality,” he grumbled, keeping his attention to the controls of his jet. He’d be touching down in a few minutes, and he preferred to not land on the ocean _next_ to the island. Sighing, Seto let his eyes rest for a moment. “Things ran so much smoother with Sheppard.”

On the horizon, the peak of a volcano grew as he approached. A few seconds later, it was joined by the island that sat upon it. And with that island, Duel Academy. For a moment, Seto let himself soak in his own pride. It had him cost a lot of money to build this place, and it looked the part.

Whatever scraps of what could be called a smile drained from his face. This was no time for idling. He had to get in, resolve this issue, possibly fire headmaster Crowler for wasting his time, and get out. 

Simple. Easy. Fast.

And like a passcode unlocking a memory dormant in his brain, those three words made Kaiba realize immediately,

It wasn’t going to be any of those things.

* * *

“ _Welcome, Seto Kaiba._ ”

The metal doors of Crowler’s office slid open as the computer voice announced Seto’s arrival. Shaking his head, he stepped through, immediately catching the man he was looking for jumping to his feet and bowing his head.

“Ah, Mr. Kaiba! It’s an honour to have you as a guest and—!” 

Seto immediately tuned out Crowler’s jabbering, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He knew it was better to let people talk than to allow himself to be sucked into their nonsense. After a few moments, he released his breath and let his eyes open.

“—So thank you for seeing us here today!” Crowler finished, standing straight again. “I can assure you, this is of the utmost importance!”

“Cut to the chase and tell me, Crowler. I’d prefer you not waste my time,” Kaiba opened, approaching Crowler at his desk and taking a seat. “Time is money after all, and trust me, I’m charging by the minute here.”

“Charging?!” Crowler restrained himself from overreacting further, hoping that was what Seto called a joke. Sitting down, he squeezed his hand before continuing. “As my initial message alluded to, it’s related to the cards you _graciously_ allow Duel Academy to hold and keep safe: the Sacred Beasts.”

Kaiba kept a neutral expression as his mind began to race. The Sacred Beasts, the cards that the disgraced former chairman of Duel Academy, Kagemaru, had kept stowed away on school grounds all those years ago. They had been a thorn in his side since then, repeatedly stolen and abused by people who think having powerful cards alone makes you a great duelist. 

“And what exactly happened to them?” Kaiba asked, though the answer was already clear to him. He got this call twice a year at this point. One more and he’d get a free duel disk.

“They’ve been stolen! Last night a student broke into the containment—” Crowler paused as a hand went to Kaiba’s face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Then get security to check every student’s dorm, do a roll call and see who’s missing. It’s an _island_ , Crowler, no one is going to run off with them!” Kaiba snapped, literally glaring Crowler down as he shrunk back in his seat. “The procedure is the same every time this happens, so why in the _world_ did you call me in now?”

“Ah well you see,” Crowler began, a nervous smile taking his face as he reached under his desk. This should be good, Kaiba thought. “The cards have already been recovered!”

The moment Crower pulled out the three cards in question, Uria, Hamon, and Raviel, Kaiba gritted his teeth. 

“You’re fired.” Kaiba rose to his feet, intent on calling security to drag Crowler out kicking and screaming. “Waste my time like this—”

“Wait, WAIT!” Crowler screamed, throwing himself over his desk in a panic. “I promise I didn’t call you in for nothing!”

Kaiba paused, perhaps showing a degree of forgiveness he would’ve scoffed at in his younger years. He wasn’t young, though. Not anymore. He’d give Crowler his chance.

“Well?” he asked, keeping his back to the mess of a man.

“Oh thank you for listening to reason, Mr. Kaiba. I promise you I won’t disappoint with my expla—”

“The _point_ , Crowler. Get to the point,” he demanded. Crowler squeaked, taking a moment to recollect himself. 

“The reason I felt it necessary to bring you here, Mr. Kaiba, was because I made an astonishing discovery in the recovery of the Sacred Beasts cards.” Crowler brought Seto pause. Turning his head, Kaiba let one eye fall on the headmaster.

“Continue.”

“When we cornered the student who had taken the cards, she relinquished them immediately without a fight, or, more importantly, a duel.” Standing straight, Crowler laid the Sacred Beast cards on his desk. “And it made me realize something.”

Crowler stepped out away from his desk, leaving nothing separating him and Kaiba.

“In every case when someone stole the cards and dueled with them, they became immediately protective of the Sacred Beasts, only letting them go after losing a duel, only _able_ to let them go then,” he explained. “When they didn’t duel with them, however, the cards were released like it was nothing!”

“And?” Kaiba asked, admittedly not getting the point.

“And, I think this may be the key to keeping them safe in the future!” Crowler smiled, picking up one of the Sacred Beast Cards. “You must be aware of the mystical properties of cards as powerful as these, correct?”

Kaiba resisted the urge to groan out loud. Well over ten years, and he still hadn’t escaped the spectre of Duel Monsters and the apparent ‘magic’ it held. 

“I’m aware of their… properties, yes,” Kaiba said, turning. Seto would never admit that he believed this card game had actual magic in it. But even he would be a fool to lie to himself about it. You can’t break into the _afterlife_ and live to tell the tale without coming out believing in _some_ kind of god.

“Good, then you must know how certain cards cannot change ownership unless they’re won in a duel!” Crowler continued. “In fact, I believe that’s how Mr. Yugi Muto came to possess his god cards.”

Kaiba audibly growled, warning Crowler he was treading on a sore spot. Gulping, Crowler took the hint.

“Th-The point being, leaving the cards out in storage like that is relinquishing our, er, _your_ ownership of them, meaning anyone who takes the cards and proceeds to duel with them become their new ‘owners.’” Crowler picked up the other two Sacred Beasts. “The solution is then to not do that! Hold onto the cards! And as long as you don’t lose a duel with them on the line, they’ll be impossible to take!”

Silence took the office as Crowler offered the three cards forward. He bowed his head, his arms struggling to stay straight while extended. After a few seconds of quiet, Kaiba spoke up.

“I’m retired from Duel Monsters, Crowler,” he began, stepping past him and taking his seat behind his desk. Crowler gulped before seating himself in the chair Kaiba sat in minutes ago. 

“Yes, but—”

“But _what_? You said it yourself. The cards only take an owner who duels for them,” Kaiba explained. He interlocked his fingers, resting his chin on his thumbs as he looked out the window behind Crowler’s desk. “And I don’t duel.”

“Well, uh, perhaps we can find someone who does! Someone we trust with them? Perhaps Yuuuuuuu—” Crowler stopped himself, moments before he finished suggesting Yugi Muto. That surely would’ve cost him his job or even his head. “The point is, we can find someone.” 

Kaiba scoffed. He couldn’t think of a single duelist he’d trust with the cards. They were all weaklings like Joey Wheelers, snakes like Maximillion Pegasus, or practically retired like Yugi. Who else was there?

It occurred to Kaiba, then. Every name he came up with was the superstars of a decade past. And try as he might, he couldn’t think of a single name of a duelist currently in the pro league. Kaiba smirked. Here he was, bankrolling the education for the newest best that Duel Monsters had to offer, and he couldn’t think of a single alumni.

“You’ve run Duel Academy long enough Crowler. Of the past graduating classes, who would _you_ trust with the Sacred Beasts?” Kaiba didn’t like not having an answer, so he’d fish one out. 

The question brought Crowler pause. His mind immediately screamed a name, but he silenced it, choosing to sort through the rolodex of students he could remember. There were so many choices. Zane Truesdale, Alexis Rhodes, Bastion Misawa, Chazz Princeton, so many bright young minds and stellar duelists, they could all more than qualify if they were at the top of their league. 

But, in the end, they weren’t. There was one student with that title, one student Crowler would call the _best_. And though he hated to admit it, he hated to say it, he had to give credit where credit was due, even if that student hadn’t earned enough credits in his time here.

“Jaden, sir. Jaden Yuki,” he answered. Kaiba paused, the name making him think. 

“I’ve signed the diplomas of the top five graduating students from Duel Academy for years now, but I don’t remember a Yuki,” he began, turning his seat to Crowler. Gulping, the headmaster nodded.

“Technically, Jaden, uh, didn’t graduate,” Crowler explained, pursing his lips. “He’s, on the record, a dropout.”

“You want to tell me, out of all the students that my Duel Academy has produced, the best of them all is a _dropout_ ,” Kaiba’s voice went cold as his eyes narrowed. “What kind of joke do you take me for? And what kind of _clown_ is this Jaden, who can’t even duel his way out of a paper bag—”

And then, Crowler did something that surprised Kaiba. Crowler stood up to him, literally, and figuratively. Leaping to his feet from where he sat, he stood tall, towering over Kaiba with a look the CEO thought he’d never see from a man as toadying as Crowler.

“Mr. Kaiba, I can assure you without a shadow of a doubt that Jaden Yuki is more than his graduation status or grades show him to be,” Crowler declared, pressing his palms to the top of his desk. “He is without a doubt, the finest duelist Duel Academy has ever produced and given the time to fully stretch his abilities, perhaps the greatest the duelist the world will see. I will _not_ stand for you to disparage him, my student, in this way!”

Silence took the office, as what little colour Crowler’s face held drained away. As his own voice echoed in his mind, he began to plan how he’d spend his soon-to-be forced retirement in destitution. Kaiba would surely fire him on the spot, he thought. 

Yet, Seto didn’t. Instead, he turned his seat away from Crowler, turning his eyes to the window behind the desk. Left there without a word, Crowler sat back down, wondering what was going to happen. Then, Kaiba’s voice broke the quiet.

“Alright then, bring him here. I’ll test your supposed next King of Games.”


	2. Chapter 2

The helicopter touched down on the landing pad, quickly going silent as it arrived at the docks of Duel Academy. Yet, it wouldn’t stay quiet for long. Frustrated shouts and exasperated sighs poured out from the chassis of the vehicle. Soon after, the whole helicopter itself began to shake. With a triumphant cry, the door was thrown open and a teenager stumbled out.

“Here I come, Duel Academy!” he shouted, throwing his arms into the air. His dirty red blazer whipped in the seaside winds, as he took a deep breath of salty air. “Ahhhh, smells like home.”

“Mr. Yuki, please!” Another man fell out of the helicopter, sweating straight through his black suit with a nervous jitter. “We’re meant to wait until Chancellor Crowler arrives—”

“Ah, don’t sweat it, man. At least not more than you already are,” Jaden laughed, stretching after the long journey here. “Crowler’s an old buddy of mine, he knows he can’t tie me down to one place.”

And with that, Jaden walked off, leaving the anxious attendant to whimper as his ward strolled off the tarmac.

“ _You’re awfully cheery._ ”

Jaden smirked at the voice, laying his head back on his interlocked fingers.

“ _Why wouldn’t he be?_ ” Another voice, this one male, joined in. “ _He’s home._ ”

“Ah come on Banner. Ya don’t gotta be so sappy,” Jaden said, speaking up. He glanced over his shoulder, catching the sight of his former professor floating idly behind him. Years ago that would’ve creeped Jaden out, but he was used to it. “We’re just here for a bit to do Crowler a favor anyhow.”

“ _Speaking of which,_ ” the first voice, leaning towards the feminine side, huffed. “ _You still haven’t told us what **exactly**_ _we’re doing here._ ”

The translucent body of Yubel floated across Jaden’s field of view, her demonic appearance not even fazing him.

“Pffft, I’ll be honest. I don’t know either,” Jaden shrugged with a smile. “Crowler just said to come, there’d be food. And you know I can’t resist a shot at pulling a golden eggwich from the sandwich cart.”

Yubel rolled her eyes, drifting back to Jaden’s side as he strutted his way to the Duel Academy building. Though his confident attitude and lack of worry put her spirit at ease somewhat, there was a swarm of a feeling digging in her mind. Something was going to happen today. She could just feel it.

And it felt _familiar_.  
  


* * *

“ _Welcome, authorized guest._ ”

Jaden turned as he stepped through the sliding gate, glancing to the small box above the door where the voice came from.

“Dang. I see where you put all the money meant for the Slifer dorms,” he jeered, wheeling around to finally face Crowler again. The headmaster rolled his eyes, glancing to his right and motioning Jaden’s gaze to the desk. At once, Jaden noticed the chair was faced away from him.

“Jaden, I’d like you to meet a man I’m sure you’re familiar with,” Crowler began as the seat turned.

“I assure you, I don’t need the introduction,” Kaiba’s voice cracked the quiet of the room, making Jaden’s eyes grow wide in surprise. The man perched his chin on his crossed fingers, remaining seated as he let the air fall back to silence.

“ _Now, this is a surprise_ ,” the voice of Banner whispered as if the others in the room might hear him. “ _What exactly does—_ ”

“Seto Kaiba!” Jaden exclaimed, grinning like a mad man as he stormed the desk. Seto was caught off guard as Jaden latched onto his hand, shaking once then twice with a weak tug. “Oh, man, I’m such a fan! I watched your Battle City match against Yugi a hundred dozen times when I was a kid!”

“Jaden, you still _are_ a kid,” Crowler groaned, rubbing his temples.

“Well I did just rewatch it the other day, so I guess my point still stands,” he laughed.

All at once, Kaiba pulled his hand from Jaden’s grip, glaring at the teen as he stood up in his seat. A few years ago he would’ve sent Jaden away without another word, the blatant disrespect being a slight he would not abide. But Seto had a problem, one he couldn’t solve by himself. And he learned a long time ago to swallow his pride and get it over with.

“Just sit down,” Kaiba groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. As Jaden plopped down on the seat, leaning back without even an ounce of respect for the situation at hand, Kaiba resisted the urge to groan. He glared up at Crowler, who went stiff as a board. “You _did_ tell him why he’s here, yes?”

“I-I felt it’d be necessary to keep it to a need-to-know basis,” he explained, his arms pinned to his sides.

Kaiba’s eyes flicked back to Jaden, who kept looking at him with that stupid grin.

“Probably best to keep it that way,” he said with a sigh. “Loose lips as they say.”

“ _He’s insulting you,_ ” Jaden heard Yubel comment, annoying him as he couldn’t reply with other people around. Pursing his lips, Jaden resisted the urge to react as Yubel wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her chin onto the crook of his neck.

Kaiba stood up suddenly, reaching under his desk and pulling up a metal briefcase.

“I’ll meet you two at the Obelisk Blue Duel Arena,” he declared, stepping away from the desk and straight past the two. Pausing at the door as it slid open, Kaiba attracted the gaze of the two he left behind. “And Jaden.”

“Yeah?”

“You better impress me out there, or it’s Crowler’s head.”

* * *

“You brought me over to duel someone?” Jaden asked, reaching into his drawstring bag. Glancing around himself, Jaden took a moment to bask in the nostalgia of the good old duel arena. He’d had so many sick duels here, and he had a feeling he was about to add another to the list.

“You could say that,” Crowler muttered from the sidelines of the main dueling area. His jaw was clenched shut, as he chewed on his trusty handkerchief in pure stress. “Dear god, this has gone way out of hand.”

“Why do you say that?” Jaden asked, reaching past the sleeping body of Pharaoh the cat, and pulling out his duel disk.

“Jaden, my _job_ is on the line!” Crowler shouted with a panic. “If you don’t impress Mr. Kaiba with your duel today, I’ll be destitute!”

“Ah don’t sweat it, I’ll blow his waist-high leather socks off!” Jaden laughed, throwing on his duel disk. “Plus, I haven’t had a good duel, or any duel really, in a while, so I’m rearing for a real exciting match!”

Crowler narrowed his eyes as he folded his arm.

“When _was_ the last time you dueled, Yuki?” he asked. Jaden gained a cold sweat as he gave an awkward laugh.

“Ah, it wasn’t against anyone you’d know. Does a _Paradox_ ring a bell?”

“The Paradox Brothers!?”

“No, no! It’s— Never mind,” Jaden shook his head. Best to not try to explain that whole debacle. “By the way, who’d ya get to duel me anyways? Aster? Jessie?”

“ _Me_.” The voice broke through the whole room, as the intercom system crackled to life. Jaden gained a cold sweat as he recognized it, turning to where he heard the sound come from.

“Ooooh boy,” he muttered. Walking from the gate between the bleachers, Seto Kaiba strolled in, his head raised high as he approached the dueling arena. Decked across his left arm was certainly a sight for Jaden, the highly advanced solid vision duel disk that Kaiba had premiered years ago in his final duel against Yugi. Jaden gave another cold sweat. “You cannot be serious.”

“ _Now **this**_ _is a challenge_ ,” Banner commented with an exasperated sigh. Yubel remained silent, though the thoughts whirling in her mind sat heavy on Jaden’s shoulders. “ _Jaden, if you’re not up to—_ ”

“Let’s do this!” Jaden shouted out, taking a step forward and pumping his fists.

“Don’t forget to breathe, Jaden,” Crowler warned with a sigh.

Kaiba was taken aback, but he did not pause as he finished his approach to the dueling area.

“You’re awfully excited,” he commented, eyeing the teen as he began to run in place, stars in his eyes. “Most would be weeping in terror at this point, as any thought of victory drains from their minds.”

“Seriously, how can you take this so, _well_ ,” Crowler muttered, sighing as he took a seat in the bleachers.

“Pfft, you kidding me? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” Jaden tossed a pose at Kaiba, grinning with that same stupid smile again. “Testing my skills against one of the best, the number two duelist in the whole world!”

Kaiba broke out in laughter, causing both Crowler and Jaden to pause in confusion. Shaking his head, Seto smiled with a smarmy look. He flicked his arm forward, bringing the duel disk at his arm to life.

“I’ll give you that, Crowler. The _kid_ ’s got spunk. Let’s see how much remains after I beat it out of him.”

“Let’s see who will be beating who, _old man_.” Jaden mirrored him, his white and red Duel Academy duel disk extending and lighting up.

“DUEL!” they shouted in unison.


	3. Chapter 3

“Alright, since you’re the one who’s challenging me here,” Jaden began, drawing five cards from his deck. “I’ll take the first move. So get ready to get your game on!”

“Heh, be my guest. You’re gonna need the head start.” Kaiba rested his hand over his duel disk as his starting hand was automatically dispensed to him.

Jaden Vs Kaiba

4000 LP / 4000 LP

“Alright, then, let’s start off strong!” Jaden pulled two cards from his hand before inserting a third into his duel disk. “I activate Polymerization! Fusing the Elemental Hero Bubbleman and Elemental Hero Clayman in my hand, so I can summon the one and only, Elemental Hero Mudballman!”

3000 DEF

A tall stone warrior and water-themed muscle man appeared on the field before they were sucked into a portal of bright orange and blue a moment later. Then, from the portal, an even bigger warrior appeared. Bearing giant spheres of rock as armor, Mudballman took a defensive stance on the field ready to take any attack.

“And with that, I’ll throw down some face downs, and end my turn,” Jaden announced. “Whatcha think of that, Mr. Bossman?”

“Hm,” Kaiba drew his card, eyeing the sight of his opponent’s board with a glare. “If this is what passes for an A-list duelist in your generation, frankly, I’m not impressed.”

“Harsh.” Jaden frowned. 

“You don’t rise to the top of this world by playing nice kid, watch and learn!” Kaiba placed a card into the field zone of his duel disk. “I activate the field spell, Union Hangar!”

Mechanical storage units erupted from the ceiling and ground, completely surrounding them as the whole dueling arena was converted into a hangar. Crowler screamed as one of the storage units landed on him.

“This card allows me to add a union monster to my hand upon activation, so let’s say hello to my Y-Dragon Head!” Kaiba pulled a card from his deck, revealing a mechanical dragon. “Infact, I think you should meet it face to face— So I’ll summon it!”

One of the hangar’s units burst open, as a mechanical red dragon flew forth. 

1500 ATK

“But that’s not all. When a union monster is summoned to my field, Union Hangar activates,” Kaiba continued, “Allowing me to bring a union monster from my deck and attach it to my monster! So come forth, B-Buster Drake!”

Another unit shattered, revealing a robotic green dinosaur which stormed the field. This monster, however, quickly folded in on itself, forming a pair of blasters that attached itself to Kaiba’s Y-Dragon Head. 

“And yet, there’s always still more, because now I activate this, my Double Summon Spell card!” Kaiba shouted, inserting the card as a holographic copy took the field. “This card allows me to normal summon again. So say hello to my X-Head Cannon!”

1800 ATK

Erupting from the ground, the upper torso of a blue robot dragged itself forth, taking a spot next to Y-Dragon Head. 

“And because of that, my Union Hangar activates again!”

“Ah, jeeze, how many times are you gonna activate this thing,” Jaden groaned, wondering where the next mechanical monstrosity would pop out from. 

“As many times as I’m allowed, and then once more!” Kaiba said with a smarmy laugh. “From my deck, I attach C-Crush Wyvern!”

From one of the high perched hangars, a robotic pterodactyl flew out, gliding to the field below. As it descended, it transformed into a frame of rocket launchers, which landed on and attached to X-Head Cannon’s shoulders. The monster’s energy hummed to life as its ordnance was increased.

“Now, fuse! X-Head Cannon with Y-Dragon Head!” Kaiba ordered. The two machines had their attached upgrades shatter into pixels as they came together. Sliding into place, X-Head Cannon fused to Y-Dragon Head, forming a terrifying new creature. “Behold, XY-Dragon Cannon!”

2200 ATK

“Hah, you must be going slow in your old age.” Jaden jeered. “You just lost all your hard work attaching those other dudes!”

“Hm, well it seems you must’ve stayed an _idiot_ in your youth,” Kaiba shot back. Making a fist, he pounded his chest. “Watch as the special abilities of my B-Buster Drake and C-Crush Wyvern activate in the graveyard, allowing me to add a Union monster to my hand, and summon one as well!”

“ _You and your big mouth_ ,” Yubel said with a disappointed _tsk-tsk_. 

“So arise, Z-Metal Tank!” Seto declared. From another ground level unit, the golden machine in question raced out, taking a spot next to XY-Dragon Cannon. “Now, a final fusion. XY and Z, form the ultimate mechanical beast!”

2800 ATK

“ _XYZ Dragon Cannon_ ,” Jaden muttered under his breath, as the monster in question formed. He spoked up. “And by ditching a card—”

“You _have_ seen my duels,” Kaiba acknowledged, grinning to himself. “By discarding a card, I can destroy your Mudballman!”

All five of its canons charged up, unleashing a blast of energy that shattered Jaden’s monster in an instant. 

“And now, your life points are wide open!” 

“Not so fast, I still got my facedowns!” Jaden declared, pointing to the two set cards at his sides. Kaiba smiled. 

“As if I care about that! From my hand, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!” A sudden wind storm took the field, blasting away one of the set cards at Jaden’s side. Yet, when the wind cleared, it revealed him _smiling_.

“Thanks for that, Set, can I call ya Set?”

“No—”

“Because that light breeze you sent my way just destroyed my Hero Medal!” Jaden revealed the set card Kaiba just destroyed. And when this card is destroyed, it lets me draw a card!”

“Draw as many cards as you like, it won’t stop what’s coming.” Kaiba extended his hand out with a snap. “XYZ-Dragon Cannon, Attack!”

“ _I wouldn’t be so sure of that_ ,” Yubel laughed as Jaden grinned.

“I activate from my hand, Sphere Kuriboh!” Jaden slapped the card onto his duel disk, summoning the cybernetic fiend to the field. “When you declare an attack, I can discard this little buddy to put your monster into defense mode!”

2600 DEF

“Years later and I’m still putting up with these furballs,” Kaiba growled. “Fine, I’ll end my turn!”

“Alright, time to take back this game. I draw!” Jaden’s smile grew wider as he saw the card he drew. “Let’s go, The Warrior Returning Alive! This card let’s me bring a warrior from my grave and add it to my hand. So let’s go, Elemental Hero Bubbleman!”

Retrieving the card from his graveyard, Jaden revealed it almost immediately. 

“And since Bubbleman is the only card in my hand, I can special summon it, and draw two more cards!” Slamming the card onto his duel disk, the muscular form of Bubbleman took the field again. 

800 ATK

“But I’m not done there, I activate Call of the Haunted!” Jaden’s set card flipped up, revealing the trap card in question. “So say hello again to Elemental Hero Clayman!” 

Jaden called out as the stone warrior took the field again. 

800 ATK

“And now, what you’ve all been waiting for. The one, the only! Elemental Hero Neos!”

Clayman and Bubbleman disappeared from Jaden’s field as he sent them away, giving way to Neos as he appeared from the field of hangars. The warrior leapt through the air, landing on Jaden’s side with a battle cry. 

2500 ATK

“Ha! All your efforts resulted in _nothing_ , your monster isn’t even strong enough to destroy my XYZ-Dragon Cannon, even in defense mode!” Kaiba grinned, but in the back of his mind he was unnerved. There was something about Jaden’s warrior that reminded him of something. 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Set,” Jaden laughed.

“Don’t call me—”

“Because I still got a card up my sleeve, or really, in my hand!” Jaden slammed the card in question into his field spell zone. “I activate Skyscraper!”

Suddenly, Jaden’s half of the field erupted, as tall buildings crashed up through the floor, destroying the hangars and taking their place. The duel arena was now split into two, Kaiba’s half with hangars and Jaden’s with his holographic city. 

“Now, Neos, attack Kaiba’s Dragon Cannon!” 

Neos leapt forward, his fist rocketing towards Kaiba’s side of the field.

“When an Elemental Hero attacks a monster stronger than it, Skyscraper gives it a thousand extra attack points!” Jaden called out. “So go Neos! Cosmic Crush!”

2500 ATK → 3500 ATK

With a mighty blow, Neos destroyed XYZ-Dragon Cannon, causing scrap metal and chunks of electronics to rain down on the battlefield. Kaiba growled, angered but unmoved by the destruction of his monster. 

“Ah, come on. At least give a bit of a reaction,” Jaden whined. When Kaiba remained silent, Jaden groaned. “Fiiiine. I end my turn.”

“My move, draw!” Kaiba whipped the card off from the top of his deck before his duel disk could eject it. “Let’s start by replenishing the reserves, I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands!”

Kaiba and Jaden drew in unison, the former slamming a card down instantly. 

“Now I activate Trade-In! By discarding my Dragon Spirit of White, this card allows me to draw two more cards!” An ethereal version of Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field before shattering, leaving two cards which were added to Kaiba’s hand. “Now I activate Silver’s Cry! This lets me revive my Dragon Spirit to the field!”

The ground shuddered and shook before going still. Then, the ghostly form of Dragon Spirit of White appeared, phasing up through the ground. 

2500 ATK

“And when my dragon hits the field, I can destroy a Spell or Trap card in play, so say goodbye to your Skyscraper!” Kaiba’s dragon’s mouth burst open with a blast of energy, which it whipped across the field to strike the buildings in the background. The city came crashing down, revealing the hangars from Kaiba’s field spell behind them.

“Ah jeeze, think of the collateral,” Jaden joked. “Still, with or without Skyscraper, your dragon ain’t big enough to take down Neos!”

“Heh, this dragon might not be,” Kaiba laughed. “But this one is! I activate the effect of Dragon Spirit of White, tributing it to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!”

Dragon Spirit shuddered before going fully opaque, colour returning to its body as it came alive. With a mighty roar, Kaiba’s ace monster took the field.

3000 ATK

Jaden took a step back, the memory of the last time he faced off against Blue-Eyes hitting him straight in the panic button. He resisted the urge to make a joke for the first time in his life. 

“Now, Blue-Eyes! End his pathetic hero! Burst Stream of Destruction!” 

Blue-Eyes let out a mighty roar, arching its neck back before releasing a torrent of energy from its maw. Neos was hit dead on, resisting for only a moment before shattering.

“Neos, no!” Jaden called out. 

4000 LP / 3500 LP

Jaden growled for a moment, taking a deep breath as he centered himself. At that, Kaiba laughed.

“Seems I’ve finally broken that insufferable sense of humor of yours,” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “And all it took was breaking your _action figure_.”

“Just finish your turn,” Jaden said, frowning. Scoffing, Kaiba placed a card face down.

“I’ll end my turn with three cards face down.”

“My move, draw!” Jaden called out, adding a seventh card to his hand. “From my hand, I activate the Trap card, NEXT!”

Jaden slammed the card onto his disk, revealing the image of Elemental Hero Neos standing by the many Neo-Spacians in Jaden’s deck.

“Since I control no cards, I can use this card straight from my hand and summon Neos and Neo-Spacians from my hand or grave! So come on back, Neos! And up with him, Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!”

Neos appeared to the field with a flurry of light, alongside Dark Panther who pounced onto the board. 

“Now, let’s go, Contact Fusion!” Jaden pumped his fist into the air, as the background of the arena became a spiralling Galaxy. Neos and Dark Panther leapt into the scene of space and from it appeared a new monster. “Elemental Hero Dark Neos!”

2500 ATK

Kaiba scoffed, remaining silent as Jaden resisted the urge to growl.

“ _Jaden, perhaps you’re letting him push your buttons too—_ ”

“I know what I’m doing,” Jaden called out, cutting Banner off. “But I’m not done there, I activate Polymerization! Fusing the Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in my hand, to summon: Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!”

2100 ATK

“Was _math_ the reason you dropped out of Duel Academy?” Kaiba called out. “Neither of your monsters are strong enough to destroy my dragon!”

“Not yet they aren’t!” Jaden roared. “Because from my hand, I activate Pseudo Space!”

Again from the ground, tall building erupted, hiding away Kaiba’s hangars again. These ones, however, were a neon cyan.

“What?! Why is your Skyscraper back!” Kaiba demanded, gazing whipping across the sight. Jaden let a grin peak through.

“Because my Pseudo Space card copies the effect of a field spell in my graveyard, so in this case, it’s copied Skyscraper!” Jaden threw his arm forward, making a fist as he motioned to Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes. “And with it, I’m gonna take your dragon down! Dark Neos, attack—”

“As if I’d let you get that far! Reveal Trap cards!” Kaiba called out, as two of his three set cards flipped up. “I activate Shadow Spell and Raigeki Break! The first card allows me to target a monster you control and prevent it from attacking, and the other allows me to discard a card and destroy a card you control!”

Two columns, one of chains and the other of lightning shot across the field, the former chaining Dark Neos to the ground whilst the other caused Flame Wingman to cry out before exploding. Jaden pushed against the ensuing storm of wind, standing his ground before laughter broke the air.

“Did you honestly think you could get away with that, putting so much of your hand straight into three of my set cards?” Kaiba jeered, pushing Jaden further. “Playing this game is a lot like a business, kid. You’ve gotta figure out whether the moves you’re making are a good investment or not. And you just bet the company on a game called Dungeon Dice Monsters.”

“A game called what?”

“ _Exactly_ ,” Kaiba smirked, crossing his arms. Growling, Jaden pulled the last card from his hand.

“I still got a trick up my sleeve, and just your luck, it’s the exact card I need to turn this game around!” he called out. “I activate Double Hero Attack!”

The card in question appeared on Jaden’s field, causing Kaiba to take a step back. 

“Since I got a Neos fusion on board, this girl lets me summon another Elemental Hero straight from my grave!” Jaden explained. “So come on back, Flame Wingman!” 

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, _yes!_ ” Jaden grinned, as his trusty fusion returned to the field. “And now, Flame Wingman! Attack Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes! Skydive Scorcher!”

2100 ATK → 3100 ATK

Flame Wingman leapt high into the air, cascading down on Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a torrent of flames. The dragon tried to retaliate with a blast from its maw, but Wingman was too fast, tackling straight into its chest and destroying it. Kaiba growled as cinders flew into him.

3900 LP / 3500 LP

“And that’s not all. When Flame Wingman destroys a monster, it deals damage to you equal to your monster’s Attack points!” Jaden cheered, throwing his palm forward and making a fist. “So say goodbye to another 3000 of your life points!”

“This I will not allow!” Kaiba roared. “I activate my final set card, Call of the Haunted!”

“Hah, bring back your Blue-Eyes all you want. I’ll just wreck it again and Wingman will burn ya for game,” Jaden called out with a cocky grin. Kaiba, however, wasn’t smiling. 

“I revive my Prime Material Dragon!” he called out, causing Jaden’s eyes to bulge in surprise.

“What the heck, when did you send that to the graveyard?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

“ _If you had been paying attention, you would’ve seen him discard it when he used Raigeki Break_.” Yubel groaned as Kaiba’s monster took the field. The wood dragon roared, as Wingman’s flames battered into it, but did not pass. 

2400 ATK

“Ah jeeze, the one time I decide to stop paying attention,” Jaden whined.

“ _The **one** time?!_”

“And since I control Prime Material Dragon, your monster’s damage replenishes my life points rather than hurts them!” Kaiba called out, further adding to Jaden’s bad time.

6900 LP / 3500 LP

“Grrr,” Jaden growled, all seven cards from the beginning of his turn sunk into _gaining_ his opponent life points. All he could do was nothing. “I end my turn.” 

Jaden sighed as his Dark Neos returned to his deck, leaving him with the lone Wingman to defend himself.

“And now it returns back to me, as always!” Kaiba called, drawing a card to his hand. Looking at his options, he immediately plucked said card and placed it on his field. “I call upon Ahrima, the Wicked Warden!”

Hellish growls filled the air as a rabid hound decked in rocky armor and pointed spikes stormed the feel. 

1700 ATK

“Don’t be fooled by its gentle demeanor,” Kaiba laughed as Ahrima gnashed its teeth at Jaden. “It has a quite vicious effect. By feeding a Dark monster to it, it lets me draw a card.”

“Well good thing for me that you don’t have one of those, huh?” Jaden commented, leaning his head back into his hand.

“Oh, don’t I?” Smirking, Kaiba raised his hand up. “Ahrima, consume _yourself!_ ”

Jaden watched in horror as Kaiba’s monster began to self-cannibalize itself, paradoxically losing mass until it was a fading pile of guts on the floor.

“All that? For a draw?” Jaden asked, confused as Kaiba slipped the monster into his grave and drew another.

“Because, _drop out_ , sometimes the road to success leaves a few bodies in your way!” Kaiba revealed the final card in his hand. “I remove my Dark Ahrima, the Wicked Warden and my Light Y-Dragon Head from the game!”

Jaden’s eyes widened.

“Ooooh, boy. Oh jeeze,” he muttered.

“ _What? What is it?_ ” Yubel asked, unsure of what was happening.

“Let’s just say, his pooch wasn’t the only body he’s leaving behind.” Gulping, Jaden took a step back. 

“I summon the ultimate forbidden dragon! Chaos Emperor Dragon! _Envoy of the End!_ ” 

Kaiba slammed the card onto his duel disk, causing the whole arena to shudder and shake. Then, from the center of the field, the ground cracked, collapsing in a second later. From the maws of hell itself, Kaiba’s monster wretched itself upwards, taking the field. 

3000 ATK

“By paying 1000 of my life points, I can burn the field away and start anew! So go, Chaos Emperor Dragon, Cemetery of Fire!”

Still half-buried in the ground, Kaiba’s dragon wasted no time, opening its maw and allowing a torrent of flames to flood the arena. Prime Material Dragon and Flame Wingman drowned in the waves of fire. Even Union Hangar and Pseudo Space burnt away. 

As the fire cleared and the board was licked clean, Jaden could only stare in amazement as every card on his field and in his hand was wiped out. 

“And before you think my dragon’s reign is over, Chaos Emperor burns you for 300 life points for every card sent to the graveyard!” Kaiba called out, as a smaller crack formed in the ground. “I count seven cards destroyed in total, so that’s 2100 points of damage!”

A final torrent of flames shot out from the crack in the ground, striking Jaden head-on and making him cry out in pain.

6900 LP / 1400 LP

“ _Jaden, are you okay?!_ ” Banner called as Jaden gripped his chest. 

“I’m— Fine,” he reassured. At that, however, Kaiba laughed.

“Fine? You call your current position _fine?_ ” Furrowing his brow, Kaiba pointed dead ahead, straight at Jaden. “You’re down to no cards, with barely a sliver of life hanging on to your body. This isn’t fine, this is a disaster!”

Gritting his teeth, Jaden remained silent.

“Heh, and look at that. I actually managed to shut you up.” Kaiba smirked. “Did I do it? Did I finally shatter that insufferable thing you call a sense of humor?”

Yet, what Kaiba heard next wasn’t the broken sigh of capitulation. It wasn’t the angry shout of frustration or defeat. It wasn’t even the bargaining whimpers of someone with some hope of winning. No, what came next surprised Kaiba.

It was laughter.

“ _Jaden?_ ” Yubel floated around the teen, as he began cracking up for seemingly no reason. Loud roaring laughter took him, as his head dipped back. All at once, he threw his arms into the air.

“Woo!” he cheered, shaking his head and taking a confident step forward. Kaiba’s eyes narrowed.

“You’ve gone crazy, haven’t you?” he said, only half joking.

“You know, for a long time I wondered why you could never beat Yugi,” Jaden began, catching Kaiba off guard. “I always thought, you had the better cards, you always had the home team advantage. Why _couldn’t_ you beat him?”

“Is this some attempt to psyche me out?” Kaiba said, his voice going low and gravely. 

“But I can see now, exactly why.” Jaden’s smile fell, as he grew more serious. He pointed to Kaiba, making a finger gun aimed straight at the man’s chest. “The moment you had Yugi at the ropes, you always underestimated him, gloated about a win you hadn’t gotten yet.”

“I will not be a player in your pathetic attempt at mind games,” Kaiba roared. Jaden, however, remained calm.

“And what’s a king to do with a dude claiming to have his crown?” Jaden posed. He cocked back, firing his imaginary finger gun. “Well, I’m about to show you. My move, I draw!”


	4. Chapter 4

Gritting his teeth, Kaiba crossed his arms as Jaden began his turn.

“Only one card in my hand, but it’s the only one I’m gonna need!” Jaden slammed it onto his duel disk. “I activate A Hero Lives! By paying half my life points, I can summon a hero from my deck. So say hello to a new face, Elemental Hero Shadow Mist!”

6900 LP / 700 LP

A plum of shadows formed on Jaden’s side, as an armored woman appeared. She trudged forward, taking a spot on the field.

1000 LP

“And watch out, when this gal takes the stage, she gets me a special card from my deck, called Mask Change,” Jaden explained, plucking the card from the middle of his deck. “But before we get to that, let’s start laying down the hurt! Shadow Mist, attack!”

The hero sprinted forward, striking Kaiba in the arm before escaping back to Jaden’s side.

5900 LP / 700 LP

“That’s it? A measly 1000 points?” he scoffed, rubbing dust from his jacket. 

“Heh, that’s just the beginning. Now time to show you the power of the card I added, Mask Change!” Jaden called out, activating the card. Shadow Mist was enveloped in light, her outline growing as Jaden smirked. “This bad boy lets my heros change from one identity to another. Trading in a normal hero—”

The light dissipated, leaving a taller warrior in its place.

“Into a Masked Hero!” Practically cheering, Jaden pumped his fist. “Here he is, Masked Hero Anki!”

2800 ATK

“And guess what, it’s still my battle phase, so Anki can attack!” Jaden grinned. “Go! Deal the pain with _Dynamic Reentry!_ ” Jaden pumped his fist forward as Anki leapt nearly twenty meters into the air. With a kick, it launched itself forward, cascading onto Seto before delivery a critical kick to the center of his chest.

“Grrra!” Kaiba flew back, keeping upright as he rubbed his chest in pain. 

3100 LP / 700 LP

“And I’m not even done yet. When Anki hits you where it hurts, it lets me add a Mask Change from my deck to my hand.” Jaden smiled, pulling the card out. “And you know what, I think I’m gonna use it. “Let’s go Anki, mask change into—”

Jaden’s monster disappeared in a plume of smoke, twisting and turning before it shrunk.

“Masked Hero Dark Law!” Dark Law flew out the smoke, skidding to a stop as it took the field. It let out a mighty battle cry. 

2400 ATK

“Now, go! Dark Law! _Twisted Retribution_!” Jaden commanded. His monster shot forward, skating across the ground as it zeroed in on Kaiba. With a jump, it reared back, decking him straight in the face.

700 LP / 700 LP

“Heh, and with that, I end my turn.” Loosening up, Jaden took a step back, anchoring the back of his head in his hands. Kaiba growled, drawing his next card.

“Let’s get this duel back on track, with this card, Pot of Greed!” he called out, drawing two cards. “This card lets me, well, you know.”

“Draw two cards? Hah, check again!” Jaden grinned as Dark Law tensed up. “When you add a card from your deck to your hand outside of your normal draw, to my buddy over here, you’re breaking the law! So he gets to lay down some _Vigilante Justice_!”

Kaiba growled as Jaden’s monster rushed him, swiping a card from his hand sending it away. Yet, as his eyes returned to his hand, Seto smiled. His smile turned to a smirk, and then a moment later, an uproaring laugh. Blinking, Jaden furrowed his brow.

“Okay, now I’m confused. I just took a card out of your hand, and you’re happy about it?” Jaden asked. Kaiba shook his head, his grin still on his face.

“You _fool_! The card you banished from my hand was none other than my Thunder Dragondark!” Kaiba grasped into the air as his dark dragon suddenly appeared. “And when that monster is banished, it lets me add a Thunder Dragon monster from my deck to my hand! So, I’ll add, Thunder Dragonhawk!”

Dragondark shattered into light, a feathered Gryphon-like beast taking its place before returning to Kaiba’s hand.

“And now, watch and learn. By discarding my Dragonhawk, I can summon the Dragondark that was banished to get it!” Kaiba’s voice was lightning through the air, only shown up by the real lightning that appeared a moment later, as his dragon returned. 

1600 ATK

“But he won’t be staying for long,” Kaiba said with a smirk. “You see, when Thunder Dragons congregate, they build electrical charge, attracting even larger dragons! So now, I can—”

“Summon another dragon?” Jaden grumbled under his voice.

“Summon another dragon!” Kaiba called out. “I can tribute my lone Thunder Dragondark and summon from my Extra Deck, Thunder Dragon Colossus!”

A strike of lightning rained down from the ceiling, slamming into Dragondark and coating it with a layer of electricity. All at once, it grew triple in size, the sparks fading away as a new dark purple dragon took its place. 

2600 ATK

“Now, my beast! Wipe that pathetic excuse of a hero off my field!” Kaiba ordered, as more storm clouds formed overhead. With a roar that was like a crack of thunder, lightning fired from Colossus’s maw, exploding on contact with Jaden’s monster.

Holding his arms up to block the blast, Jaden stood firm. This was cutting it close, even for him. 

700 LP / 500 LP

“And with that, I’ll end my turn.”

“My move, draw!” Jaden smiled as he eyed the card he just pulled. “You know, old man, I gotta say, you got some tricks worth listening to.”

“Maybe if you listened to them a bit harder, you would have graduated from my school,” Kaiba chided, crossing his arms.

“Ah come on, when are ya gonna let that go?” Smiling, Jaden slipped the card into his duel disk. “Besides, I don’t need to go to class to figure out how to use this, Pot of Greed!”

Jaden drew his two cards, looking over his options carefully.

“I’m gonna go easy on you this round, Kaiba,” Jaden said with a jeer. “I’ll end my turn by setting down a facedown and a monster to go along with it.”

“Whatever lets you sleep at night.” Drawing his card, Kaiba calculated his next move for a moment before reaching forward. “I’ll get straight to it, Thunder Dragon Colossus, attack his set monster!”

Another roar like cracking thunder followed as a blast of lightning easily shattered Jaden’s card. A mechanical dog appeared for a moment in distress before exploding. 

“Heh, you walked straight into it!” Jaden called then. “You see, the monster you just destroyed was my Wroughtweiler! And when that little buddy is destroyed, I get to add a Hero and a Polymerization from my graveyard back to my hand! And to add to that, I activate Hero Signal!”

Jaden’s set card rose on cue, revealing a card with a dark skyline and H symbol projected onto the skies. 

“Since a monster of mine got destroyed, it lets me call out a Hero to avenge them! So come on out, Elemental Hero Sparkman!” From Jaden’s side, his own bout of electricity formed, as a warrior in blue and gold took the stage. “Hey now, both of us are playing with lightning, heh.”

1400 DEF

“The only one playing here is _you!_ ” Kaiba shouted out in response. “Bring out as many of your action figures as you’d like, my monsters will shatter each one, over and over again!”

“Jeeze dude, lighten up,” Jaden responded, pulling Polymerization and Bubbleman from his grave back into his hand. “Last I checked, you’re the one with a plane in the shape of a dragon. So let’s calm down with the playing with toys talk.”

“I end my turn.” Growling, Kaiba set one card.

“Let’s go, right back to me!” Jaden shouted, drawing one. Laughing like a middle schooler, he revealed what he drew. “I activate Silent Doom! This lets me revive my Avian!”

1000 DEF

“You’re in for it now! Because I’ve assembled the pieces for a real kick-butt fusion!” Jaden flipped around the Polymerization he added back in the previous turn.

“ _I cannot believe you just said that,_ ” Yubel groaned.

“I fuse my Elemental Heroes Avian, Sparkman, and Bubbleman!” Jaden threw his hand up as the monsters in front of him dissolved into blobs of wind and lightning respectively. Behind him, Bubbleman appeared for a moment before similarly becoming a blob of torrents. All at once, the three elemental energies leapt into the air, converging into a storm that suddenly formed over the field. “Come on out, Elemental Hero, Tempest!”

An eye in the storm suddenly formed and from it descended a winged warrior. With a mighty cry, it unfurled its wings, sudden gale force winds blowing out and dispersing the entire storm at once. It landed proudly at Jaden’s side. 

2800 ATK

“Now, go Tempest! Powerhouse Plummet!” Shooting into the air again, Tempest cried out once again before charging down towards Colossus with the force of a storm behind it. The two collided, the dragon putting up a fight before roaring and shattering. 

Kaiba growled as the pixelated remains of his monster rained down beside him. If it wasn’t for Dark Law banishing his other Thunder Dragons, he could’ve protected Colossus. 

500 LP / 500 LP

“With that, I’ll kick it back to you,” Jaden called out, leaning his head back into his hands with a smirk. “Let’s see ya get out of that.”

“I draw!” Looking over his options, Kaiba plucked a card from hand and pressed a button on his duel disk. “I’ll start by activating my set card, Living Fossil! This will let me revive a monster from my grave, so arise! B-Buster Drake!”

1500 ATK

Piles of scrap appeared at Kaiba’s feet before pulling itself together, reconstituting at his Buster Drake at his side. 

“And from there, I’ll activate Soul Exchange!”

“Ah jeeze,” Jaden broke from his relaxed position as he realized that Kaiba was in fact, getting out of that. 

“I’ll show you what happens when you let your guard down around me, twerp!” Kaiba roared, as his mechanical dragon and Jaden’s Elemental Hero Tempest were encased in a white aura. “I tribute my B-Buster Drake and your monster! Come forth, my pride, my soul! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

The familiar roar of Kaiba’s dragon filled the arena again as Blue-Eyes touched down on the field again, sending shockwaves through the air.

3000 ATK

“And I’m not done there! When my B-Buster Drake is sent to the grave, it allows me to search a union monster from my deck!” Kaiba smirked as his duel disk served him the card. “Fortunately for you, Soul Exchange prevents me from finishing you off here.” 

“How generous,” Jaden groaned. “My move!”

Sighing, he set the one card he drew.

“Make that, your move.”

“With pleasure!” Kaiba shouted out as he drew. “Now my Blue-Eyes, end this! Burst Stream of Destruction!”

“Not on my watch! I activate, Negate Attack!” Jaden’s trap flipped up, revealing a swirling vortex that consumed Blue-Eyes’s attack and dispersed it. 

“Stalling won’t do you good!” Kaiba said with a grunt. “I end my turn.”

“We’ll see about that you smug—” Jaden resisted the urge to finish that expletive as he looked over his draw. Without another word, he set a monster face-down. “I end my turn.”

“Hmph, yes we will.” Glancing at his next draw, Kaiba made his next move with a flick of his wrist. “I activate the magic of the Pot of Avarice! This lets me shuffle 5 monsters from my grave into my deck to draw two more cards!”

Four cards followed by Blue-Eyes shot out of Kaiba’s duel disk before he shuffled them into his deck. With another quick motion, he drew.

“Hah! Now I’ll show you what happens when you waste my time! You should’ve dropped out of this duel a long time ago,” Kaiba revealed three cards from his hand. “Because now I’m about to show you what happens when I get angry! I activate Polymerization! This fuses the Blue-Eyes on my field with the two in my hand!”

“Here we go!” Jaden shouted out, as two more Blue-Eyes joined the one on the field. All at once, the three were pulled into a vortex behind Kaiba, as loud gusts of wind poured out of it. Yet, over the sounds of the dragons roaring and gusts blowing, one sound stood clear: Kaiba’s proud laughter.

“Now, feast your eyes amongst an ultimate creature! An ultimate force! The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!” 

From the vortex, the head of Blue-Eyes shot true, a cracking roar piercing the arena. Following it was two more, joining the first in its symphony of rage. Marching proudly outwards, centering the whole arena around it, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon took the field.

4500 ATK

“Now my beast, render his puny field asunder! Neutron Blast!” Kaiba’s hand shot forward as the three heads of his monster began charging plumes of white lightning at their maws. With another ear-shattering cry, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired, sending the three beams coalescencing and instantly shattering their target: Jaden’s set monster. 

The body of Elemental Hero Wildheart appeared for a second before crying out and exploding, launching Jaden back a foot. 

“And with that, I’ll give you a short intermission,” Kaiba said with a smirk. “But do hurry back, your beating continues after one turn.”

Jaden audibly growled, his eyes flashing as his hand went to his deck. 

“ _Jaden? Jaden, are you okay,_ ” Yubel reappeared again, feeling a dark pit at the center of that wave of emotion that just went through him. She turned to look up at the dragon they were facing. “ _Don’t tell me for even a second that this is getting to you. You’ve dealt with things much harder than this and conquered them before._ ”

“It’s not his dragon, Yubel. It’s _him_.” Looking down at his deck, Jaden watched as his hand shook despite how much he tried to hold steady. He drew, frowning as he found Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin on the top. This wouldn’t help. “What I would give to be facing Aster right now. At least I could trash talk him and not expect him to make it personal.”

Yubel furrowed her brow as the darkness she felt disappeared, replaced instead with a gentle sadness. This wouldn’t do.

“ _And so what? So what if this insignificant rube has made it personal,_ ” she began, floating to the front of Jaden’s gaze. “ _Of all the things you’ve seen, what is he? What value do his words carry?_ ”

“Him and Yugi were my idols when I was a kid,” Jaden answered, looking down at the Aqua Dolphin in his hand and thinking. “They’re the reason I started dueling. They’re the reason _you’re_ in my deck.” 

“Are you going to stand there and daydream! Or are you going to _duel!_ ” Kaiba suddenly shouted out, making Jaden grumble.

“I set a monster and end my turn,” Jaden replied, after a moment of hesitation. Yubel grabbed onto his hand after that and pulled it up to grab Jaden’s attention.

“ _And so what? That makes it even better. He is your past, a reminder of where you were._ ” Yubel looked over to where Kaiba drew his next card. “ _Now is your chance to cut that away, kill that part of your past and step into your **future**._”

“Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Reduce his last line of defense to ash! Neutron Blast!” Kaiba called out, ordering his monster to fire. All at once, Yubel unfurled her wings, blocking the shock waves and wind from Kaiba’s attack. She also handily blocked the sight of Aqua Dolphin being destroyed.

“ _Take this opportunity, Jaden. Make his corpse the stepping stone for your next stage_.”

“Okay, just to emphasize, we are _not_ actually killing him, right?” Jaden quipped, a half-smirk returning to his face. Yubel smiled.

“ _I’m okay with either possibility_.” That elicited a laugh from Jaden, as he stood straight again. Pulling her wings back, Yubel retreated to his side, confident that she had returned _his_ confidence. He was going to need it.

“I’ll set a card and end my turn,” Kaiba said, passing it back to Jaden for what felt like the last time. It was all up to this.

“Come on guys, pull through for me,” Jaden said to himself, his hand pressed against the top card of his deck. “Lady luck, heart of the cards, whatever’s out there. I need ya to get me out of here.”

Closing his eyes, Jaden drew what would probably be his final card. He held it forward, peeking out for a second before fully facing his fate. And when he saw what it was, he smiled. He didn’t just smile, he grinned, ear to ear. 

“You’re in for it now, Richie Rich! Cause you’re about to see a Jaden Yuki classic comeback!” Flipping the card he drew, Jaden began to break out laughing. “I’m activating Miracle Fusion! Now I can fusion summon using Elemental Heroes from my graveyard!”

A vortex of Jaden’s very own appeared behind him, mirroring the one Kaiba had just a few turns earlier.

“And with it, I’m gonna fuse my Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!” Pumping his fist into the air, Jaden called upon his two fallen heroes to join his side, Sparkman and Wingman leaping into the portal moments after they appeared. “So come on out, Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!”

Shooting out from the vortex, Jaden’s new monster took flight. Flare Wingman’s radiant armor completely outshining everything in the entire arena. Even Kaiba was forced to shield his eyes as he growled. 

2500 ATK

“Hah! Your monster is nowhere near strong enough to take down my Blue-Eyes!” Kaiba shouted then, as Flare Wingman’s light show began to calm down.

“Heh, not yet it doesn’t! See, my hero’s got a superpower you see.” Jaden pointed sky high towards his monster. “Shining Flare Wingman gains 300 ATK for every Hero I’ve got taking a rest in my graveyard!”

“It _what!?_ ”

“And I just about count seven Heroes!” Grinning from ear to ear, Jaden watched as the ethereal forms of Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, Bubbleman, Mudballman, Tempest, and Wildheart appeared on his field, each disappearing after a moment and adding to Flare Wingman’s power. “Let’s go!”

4600 ATK

“Shining Flare Wingman! Go! Solar Flare!” Jaden called out. With a mighty cry, Flare Wingman shot upwards, flashing with a blinding light as it cascaded upon its target. Kaiba’s dragon charged up a counter-attack, sending out a neutron blast to try and blow Wingman away. But Flare Wingman broke through it, flying through the beam and directly into Blue-Eyes’s chest. With an explosion, Kaiba’s monster was no more. “All right!”

400 LP / 500 LP

“My Blue-Eyes!” Kaiba roared.

“And don’t think you’re sitting pretty!” Jaden continued. “My Shining Flare Wingman has an effect just like Flame Wingman, meaning you take all of your dragon’s ATK as damage!”

Flare Wingman floated down to Kaiba’s front, its hand outstretched towards his chest. Kaiba didn’t even flinch.

“Shining Flare Wingman! End this!” At that, a blast of light fired from Wingman’s whole body, blinding all observers as it hit Kaiba point-blank. As the light cleared, Jaden began laughing to himself, for just a moment taking in the fact he won.

Then, the laughter started. From Kaiba, uproarious prideful laughter took him, as Flare Wingman leapt away and back to Jaden’s side. Standing straight, Kaiba smirked as Jaden stared in confusion.

“Uh, what’s with the giggles dude, you just lost?” Jaden said then, wondering why his life points hadn’t ticked down to 0.

“Oh, did I really?” Kaiba shot back, lifting his arm up. His set card revealed itself, as a new item came to life on Kaiba’s side of the field. “I activated my Ring of Defense! Protecting me from all Damage!” 

400 LP / 500 LP

“Your puny attempt at ending this duel was stopped by one measley spell card! You call that a finisher?” Kaiba made a fist as his Ring of Defense faded away, leaving his field bare. 

Yet as Jaden saw his victory pulled away from him, he didn’t fret, he didn’t worry. No, all he could do was grin. 

“You’re absolutely amazing!” he shouted out loud, unable to contain himself from complimenting his opponent. “Heck, almost as amazing as I am! Let’s finish off this duel right, what do ya say!”

Kaiba was taken aback by that, the compliment followed by the self-praise a moment later. This kid could certainly jump back. 

It was time to show him how a master does it.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said under his breath, drawing. “I activate the magic of Card of Demise! This lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand, as long as I discard my whole hand in five turns. But trust me, I’m ending this right here, right now!”

Drawing his five cards, Kaiba looked over his options before smiling, finding exactly what he needed. 

“I’ll start by activating my Monster Reborn, reviving a monster you destroyed in the last turn! Arise again, my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!” Kaiba roared, as the three heads of Blue-Eyes crashed through the floor, the terrifying roar of the monster following them. 

“Aw sweet, you got Blue-Eyes Ultimate back!” Jaden shouted out, finally able to fanboy over the card he’d seen so often in his childhood. “But, why would you do that, it’s still not strong enough to beat my Shining Flare Wingman?”

Kaiba laughed.

“You think your puny action figure shines?” he called out, pointing towards Jaden’s monster. “No, let me show you a real monster, one that shines beyond all the rest!”

Plucking a card from his hand, Kaiba raised it forward, as his Ultimate Dragon began to crack and fall apart, light leaking out from every hole. 

“A dragon like no other! A new dragon! A _shining_ dragon!” Kaiba slammed the card onto his duel disk, shattering Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the process, and revealing what lay underneath. “Blue-Eyes _Shining_ Dragon!”

Where flesh and sinew once stood, a shining mass of pure geometry remained. A monster Jaden had never seen before stood before him, so bright and with such a pressure, he was absolutely star-struck. 

3000 ATK

“And like your Flare Wingman, my monster also gains ATK! 300 for every dragon in my grave! And I count seven!” Kaiba raised his duel disk into the air as seven beams of light shot out from his duel disk, each fanning out and then coalescencing into Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. It roared out with a mighty cry as its power rose.

5100 ATK

“Now, let’s _really_ end this!” Kaiba called out for the last time. “Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Attack! Shining Neutron Blast!”

Taking to the skies, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon’s whole body lit up, blue highlights standing stark in the pure white. Yet, with a cry that could shatter glass, it charged up a sphere of energy before letting it all burst forth in a stream that made the room moments earlier feel like pitch black. 

Shining Flare Wingman stood still as it took the full force of the attack, just barely blocking the light from blinding Jaden. With his arms blowing back in the wind as his last monster was shattered, Jaden was left to just watch in awe as his life points ticked down to zero.

400 LP / 0 LP

Seto Kaiba wins

As the light and monsters and debris of the field faded away, Kaiba let out a sigh of something that wasn’t quite relief, but close. He certainly wasn’t worried he’d lose, he never was. Yet, as his duel disk deactivated and the last of the holograms left the field, he couldn’t help but notice the sheer amount of blood rushing through his veins. 

Lifting his hand, he watched it tremble. Not with fear, of course, but something else.

Excitement.

Kaiba’s train of thought was derailed in the next moment.

“That. Was! _Awesome_!” Jaden yelled as he rushed up Kaiba, grabbing his still shaking hand and shaking it himself. “I gotta say, you really know how to kick butt in style! I’ve never even seen that monster before! Don’t tell me you brought it out for little ole me!”

“ _He’s going to kill you if you’re not careful,_ ” Yubel commented as Kaiba ripped his hand from Jaden’s grasp, turning and wiping it against his coat. 

Calming down at that, Jaden straightened up.

“Uh, thanks for the chance to put you through the wringer a few times,” he said, bowing with his arms pinned to his sides, only half joking. “You really showed me I still got a bit to learn if I wanna reach your guys’ level.”

Standing up, Jaden suddenly remembered the reason he was even there.

“Hey, I know I didn’t beat you, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t fire—”

“You weren’t ever going to beat me,” Kaiba said, cutting him off. Turning back to face him, Kaiba looked over to his opponent. “The kind of duelist who could defeat me in a duel comes once in a millenia, quite literally.” 

Walking past Jaden, Kaiba did something quite unexpected: He paused and put his hand on his shoulder.

“However, you did impress me,” Kaiba said, keeping his eyes forward. Jaden resisted the urge to jump out and shout in excitement at that. Leaving his hand on Jaden’s shoulder, Kaiba reached for the commlink attached to the hem of his jacket. Pressing it, he opened the channel. “He passed, Crowler. Give him the Sacred Beasts.”

“Hah, I passed— Wait, _what!”_

“ _WHAT._ ”


End file.
